Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1887-01-07
Some Queer Sounds Which they
Habitually Utter.


talking fish had portable aquarium upon
the beach, and in it several fishes, and
when crowd would gather about the
tank he would announce that the FISH
would answer questions. He would
then lift one OF the fishes out of the water
and allow the spectators to listen to
its grunt, explaining that 1t could talk
only when under water, The fish was
then returned and some one would ask
question, upon which a fish would dart
to the surface, and a soft, low voice would
be heard answering the question
correctly. But the secret of the very re-
markable fish was finally found out, the
trick being carried out on the same plan
as the famous chess player. A very
nuSsman was concealed in the imita-
>ck work of the tank, who
replied to the qestioDS through tube
that led to the surface, the opening being
concealed in the rock work near the
fishes. When question was asked the
exhibitor would drop some food unob-
served into the water, which made the
fish dart upward in avery natural man
ner, and the voice being heard at the
same time, the illusion was complete, and
many ignorant people were deceived.
The drumtsh, pegOnius, Is one OF the
lOudest takers in American waters.
When the nets are hauled on the Jersey
coast, and large Plumbers OF drum1sh are
caught, their protests are often very loud.
That these fishes utter sounds under
water there can be no doubt. The sailors
on vessels anchored off shore have heard
the strange noise rising about them, and
described it as booming, while others
thought it was occasioned by drums being
beaten on shore. The fish utter the
sounds, according to some authorities, by
striking their pharYngeal teeth together,
while other writer's think that they beat
their bodies against the sides OF vessels
to rub off certain parasites that infest
them.
A vessel lying In the China sea some
years ago had a most remarkable expert
ence. The sounds that arose about her
greatly alarmed the crew, and were de-
scribed by the captain as resembling
escaping steam, the changing of bells, the
notes of an enormous harp, with others
difficult to describe. The concerG lasted
for some hours and was attributed to
school of fishes that was seen in the Vicin-
ity.
That fishes utter sounds was known in
very early times, and Aristotle and Elton
both refer to the mountaineering fishes of
the Mediterranean. The Ceylonese fish
ermen are familiar with fish found in
the lake of Colombo, which they call
'magoora," that makes an audible grunt
when disturbed, and Pallegoix, in his his
tory of Slam, refers to brilliant fish re-
sembling our founder, which the natives
callt'dog's tognue," that attaches itself to
a boats bottom and gives out variety of
sounds. Considerable excitement was
occasioned at Batticalos, Ceylon, a couple
of years ago. by the report that musical
sounds were heard rising from the sea in
various places. Sir +. Tennent visited
the locality and Intercepted several fish
ermen who had heard the notes, and de-
scribed them as resembling the
faint, sweet notes of an Eolian
harp. According to the men, they were
only audible during the dry season, and
they had always known of them, and
their fathers before them. They said that
it was not fish that sung, but shell or
molusk, which they called in the Tamil
tOngute he corie cooleeroo cradOO, or cry
ing shell; the name evidently being an at
tempt to reproduce the sound. The men
soon pointed out some of the musicians,
which proved to be the shells known to
science as Litlorina l3vis and Centhlum
palus. Tennent engaged the men TO take
him to the spot, and one moonlight night
they roWed him to a locality about 200
yards northeast Of the jetty by the fort
gate, and while the boat rested in perfect
silence, not a breath of wind blowing, he
distinctly heard the musical notes.
They came up from the water" be says,
like the gentle shrills OF musical cord,
or the faint vibrations OF wine glass
when It's rim Is rubbed by q moistened
finger. 1t was not one sustained note,
but multitude OF tiny sounds, each clear
and distinct in itself, the sweetest treble
mingled with the lowest bass. On apply
ing the ear to the woodwork OF the boat,
the vibration was greatly increased in
volume. The sounds varied consider
ably at different points as we moved
across the lake, as If the number of anil
mails from which they proceeded was
greatest in particular spots, and occa-
sionally he rowed out of the hearing of
them altogether, until on returning to the
original locality the sounds were at once
renewed"
A party was once passing from the
prOmontOry in Salsette to Sewree, in the
harbor of Bombay, when they were aston
ished to hear sounds like the protrected
booming Of a bell, the notes of an E0lian
harp or pitch pipe, or any long drawn
musical note. They at first THOUGHT it
music from the shore, but it was soon
seen to come from all about, and the
boatmpn said 1t was caused by fishes that
were found there. The occupants, by
placing their ears upon the rail OF the
boat, heard the sounds with great dis
tlnctness. Similar sounds have been re-
produced from the waters OF Caldera,
Chile, and at the mouth Of Pascagola
creek, Mississippi.
Wuile the information concerning the
soHnd-producing molusks is very meagre,
some nVestigatiOns have been made. DR..
Grant ex perrin nted upon the Tritonia
, .abOrescaus, and found that they produced
a sound under water like "clink," as it a
piece of steel wire was struck against
the glass at short intervals. DIR. Grant
made his experiments IN the presence of
the members OF the Wersaen Natural
History Society OF Edinburgh, aud the
listeners around the table distinctly heard
he"seHhk, clnk' OF the little tritOnla at
a distance OF twelve feet, and the COM
blned etf9fts OF hundreds, perhaps thou
sands, might we'll produce loud volume
of musical sounds. l have heard SIM
liar noise proceed from the great c0nch
Strombus gigas; and undoubtedly inves-
tigation would show that numbers OF
marine animals are capable Of utterlng
sounds that have their meaning in the